The No. 1 overall pick played just two series in Houston's preseason home opener against Atlanta. It was all he needed to make his presence known with two tackles (one for a loss) and a big sack before exiting the game in the first quarter.

On Atlanta’s second drive of the game, Clowney single-handedly caused a nine-yard loss for Matt Ryan and the Falcons offense. First, his tackle on running back Antone Smith pushed the Falcons back two yards. He immediately followed it up with a sack on Ryan for a loss of seven yards.